In the cutting and polishing of jewel stones, such as opals and the like, the starting piece is a rough stone which is difficult to grasp mechanically so that mechanical operations can be performed such as the saw cutting of slabs and similar machining. One problem is gripping the stone in such a way as to avoid interference with the machine operation such as a circular saw.
The present invention is directed to holding a piece of stone which has one flat side resulting from an initial saw cut which splits the original stone into two pieces. An object is to hold the stone securely from the flat side leaving the remainder projecting freely so it can be exposed to a saw or other machining operation. Another object is the provision of a retention device which will adapt itself to varying rough contours of individual stones and which will anchor the stones securely in a mechanical grip. A further object is the provision of a holding device for rough stones which can be made in various sizes for small, medium or large pieces of stone.
Other objects of the invention will be apparent in the following description and claims in which the principles of the invention are set forth together with details of construction and operation to enable persons skilled in the art to practice the invention, all in connection with the best mode presently contemplated for the invention.